A supersonic passenger plane is capable of flight at a high speed greatly exceeding the subsonic passenger planes that are usually employed nowadays. Thus, realization of a supersonic passenger plane is expected principally in terms of rapidity thereof.
However, supersonic passenger planes inherently have greater wing loadings and the like than subsonic passenger planes. Moreover, in order to maintain passenger capacities in consideration of economic factors, plane body weights are larger.
Therefore, because wing loadings are greater, very long runways are necessary for takeoff. Moreover, if engine power is increased to enable takeoff from even slightly shorter runways, plane body weight increases. In addition, fuel consumption of the supersonic passenger plane and airport noise also increases.
As means for solving this, various measures have been considered, such as measures at the plane body such as providing high-lift devices, more aerodynamically refining the plane body and so forth, and also assisting the plane body on the ground at a time of takeoff and so forth.
As a device that assists a plane body on the ground, these have been proposed:
a takeoff assistance device comprising a primary coil of a linear motor that is provided at one of a plane body and a runway, and a secondary coil of the linear motor is provided at the other (patent reference 1); and
an accelerating device for a flying body in which a jet engine, which heats a propellant with laser light and provides thrust, and a laser beam incidence portion, which receives illuminated laser light, are provided at a carriage for loading the flying body, and a laser light illumination system is provided partway along a track on which the carriage runs (patent reference 2).    Patent reference 1: The publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 5-16897    Patent reference 2: The publication of Japanese Patent No. 2,861,569